authorized by the representatives whilst altogether, to state as their prevailing sense, that Joseph Brown should be nominated for clerk-many of the representatives confirmed this last report. The meeting was again thrown into a state of confusion by the conduct of some of the separatists, aided and encouraged by disaffected members of the Yearly Meeting: but amidst all these trying circumstances, Friends continued to be mercifully preserved calm. After they had sat until near night amidst these complicated trials, and there appearing no prospect that the separatists would withdraw from the meeting, Friends adjourned to Fourthday morning.

First-day morning, attended Hester-street meeting, which was large; the meeting was early interrupted by a communication from one of the ministers of the separatists, but the solemnity was resumed with which at its first sitting down the meeting was favoured. In the afternoon I attended Rose-street meeting, where I escaped the company of the numerous preachers of the separatists: the meeting was held in quiet, although much crowded.

Second-day morning, 26th of 5th mo. 1828, the Yearly Meeting for the general concerns of the Society assembled; the house was crowded to an unusual degree before the time appointed: the clerk (Samuel Parsons) opened the Yearly Meeting, which done, I found I must stand upon my feet, and endeavour to lay before the meeting that which I believed my mind had become charged with, although I dreaded making the attempt, being aware, from the conduct some of the leading part of the separatists manifested towards me, that I was become increasingly obnoxious to them, but I durst not keep silence; I therefore rose with nearly these words: "I obtained a certificate from my own monthly and quarterly meeting, also one from the select Yearly Meeting of Friends held in London, expressive of their concurrence with my travelling in the work of the ministry on this continent, which certificates were read in the last Yearly Meeting of New York, and entered on the records of that Yearly Meeting; such being the case, it constitutes me as much a member of this Yearly Meeting as any other member of it; as such I therefore dare do no other than enter my protest against the meeting's proceeding with its business, whilst so many persons are in the meeting who have no claim or right to sit in this Yearly Meeting."* I was suffered to pro

[* The rules of discipline of New York Yearly Meeting direct, that "after the case of an offender is brought to a meeting, he is not to attend any of our meetings for discipline." There were present in this meeting very many individuals, whose cases had not only been brought to a meeting, but who had been regularly disowned, according to the discipline and good order of our Society; and consequently the Yearly Meeting could not, consistently, with its own regulations, proceed to the transaction of any business. From "The Friend." Philadelphia, 6 mo. 28, 1828.]

ceed without interruption, and was humbled under a thankful sense of support, that I had not flinched from the step I had taken. This called forth other Friends in support of the meeting's becoming select before the business of it was gone into; but the disaffected part of the meeting manifested a determination that those who were disqualified to sit in the Yearly Meeting should remain, using many unsound arguments to support them in their determination. Elias Hicks also declared they had a right to sit this Yearly Meeting, saying, he should have no objection to the meeting going on with the business, if there were a number of Presbyterians in the house at the same time; he further added, those who had set up the new Yearly Meeting in Philadelphia, of which these individuals were members, were not the seceders, but that the few left of the old Yearly Meeting were the seceders; that with the consent of his own monthly meeting he had attended the new Yearly Meeting in Philadelphia in the second week of the fourth month last; that it was attended by a large proportion of the members of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and the eastern shore of Maryland, and from all the quarterly meetings but one representatives had come, which meeting consisted of the cream of these quarterly meetings. Friends maintaining their ground against the business of the meeting being proceeded in, whilst those who had no right to sit in the meeting were present; the separatists then ordered the clerk in a very commanding manner to go on with the business of the meeting, until at last many of them manifested a disposition to become riotous in order to compel his proceeding. A Friend stood up and proposed, such Friends as were desirous of preserving the order of this Yearly Meeting, should adjourn to some suitable place to transact the business, which proposal was fully united with by other Friends, but opposed with violence by the separatists. Whilst matters were thus going on, the clerk, aware that it must terminate in a separation, prepared a minute to that effect-to adjourn to the basement-story of the meeting-house, which he stood up to read; on which an outcry took place, Don't let him read it,'-'pull him down ;'-others calling out, 'He is no clerk of the Yearly Meeting, we have a clerk of our own; the representatives have met, and we have chosen a clerk :' but this being the opening of the Yearly Meeting, the representatives had not yet received their orders from the meeting to meet for that purpose. E. Hicks then called upon their new-chosen clerk to come forward, which he did over the backs of the forms, and heads and shoulders of Friends, some of whom were incommoded by it on his reaching the front of the clerk's table, E. Hicks put out his hand to assist him in gaining admittance to the table, but by some means he failed, on which some of the Hicksite party turned their newly

chosen clerk heels first into the clerk's seat. Attempts were now made to wrest the minute the clerk had made out of his hands, which they were not able to effect, nor prevent his reading of it; but to preclude what he thus read being heard over the meeting, they struck their sticks against the wall of the house, they stamped on the floor with their feet and umbrellas, they hooted and hissed, and some were heard to swear: the windows being down, the tumult was so great, people outside of the house compared it to thunder at a distance. The minute of the adjournment being read, Friends left the house and went towards the basementstory, but care had been previously taken by the Hicksite party to keep Friends out of this part of the house by locking the doors against them; one of their party threatened Friends with consequences if they attempted an entrance, on which a Friend present proposed our adjourning to the medical college in Duanestreet, which accordingly took place. From the solemn manner in which Friends moved slowly along the streets, many strewing their tears on the way, from having left behind them some near relatives and some intimate friends, together with the painful feelings occasioned by the scene of uproar and violence they had so recently escaped, inquiry was made by people, "Was a burial coming?" On reaching the college, and after taking our seats, a time of silence ensued; praises were vocally offered up, to the great Shepherd of Israel for this signal deliverance of his people, when the waters of the Red Sea were made to stand on heaps. Daniel Heaviland, a very aged blind Friend, broke forth in a melodious manner, and acknowledged his spirit was now set at liberty, and his lips unsealed to speak of things he had seen for nearly forty years, and who it should be that would introduce such disorder and confusion in the Society; adding, thirty-five years ago, when the Yearly Meeting was held at Westbury, on Long Island, two women Friends from across the great water, sitting in a room by themselves in the Friend's house where he lodged, seeing him pass the room-door, called him in, and pointing to E. Hicks, who was in another room, said, “That man will, some day or other, be a troubler in Israel."-He said that the scene we had passed through in this Yearly Meeting was clearly unfolded to his view before he came to the city, and he expressed his thankfulness to his heavenly Father for this great deliverance. "But," said he, "dear friends, there will yet something come to pass, if my feelings have not deceived me, that will more fully try our foundation;" and he exhorted Friends to get so deep as that they might be able to stand. This was a heart-tendering time, not only to the aged and middle-aged, but some of the youth

*

[ Believed to be Mary Ridgeway and Jane Watson.]

were also observed with their heads resting on their hands, weeping.*

The meeting being opened, the women became the subject of consideration, and some men Friends were deputed to attend at Rose-street house, where their Yearly Meeting was then sitting. The comfortable change of feeling produced in the mind, between entering the meeting-house of Hester-street this morning and the college, is not to be conceived to the full: the meeting adjourned to the afternoon. At the time adjourned to, Friends met; the committee from this meeting to attend to the women Friends reported, that the gates of Rose-street meeting-house, (where the women's Yearly Meeting is held,) were found locked, and that they were denied an entrance to the women's house; also that a deputation had been sent to the women from the body they left in Hester-street meeting-house. From the prospect of the trying situation the women Friends were likely to be placed in, some men Friends were requested to lend them such assistance as they were able. The meeting being informed that the women were alike circumstanced as the men had been, it was expected they must leave their meeting-house, and as the African Methodist meetinghouse had been offered for their accommodation, it was concluded to accept it.

Third-day morning, the women went into the lobby of their house, and adjourned to the African Methodist meeting-house, accompanied by some men Friends. These trying circumstances under which Friends were now placed, had become noised abroad in the city, and much sympathy appeared to be manifested, and great quiet was observed by the people, as we passed through the streets. The meeting for sufferings stood adjourned to Hesterstreet house this evening; the clerk and others of us proceeded there accordingly. On our arrival, we were informed by one of E. Hicks's party, there was no longer a meeting for sufferings, it

[* It will doubtless be, to many readers in this country, very affecting, and to those previously uninformed quite astonishing, to find what excesses of disorder and of unchristian conduct the followers of Elias Hicks committed, in their attempt to overthrow the good order and Christian principles of the Society in America. Although it is almost painful to see them again thus exposed in this Journal, yet these occurrences (now become matters of history) ought to awaken in our minds reflections of profitable and solemn ininterest, as well as feelings of humble and reverent gratitude. It is believed, that throughout the narrative of these distressing scenes, "the marks" of the patient, peaceable disciple of Jesus, are to be discovered in the conduct of our suffering brethren in that land; and for whom our sympathy will not fail to be afresh excited on the perusal of these accounts. While we may be led to reflect upon our state of comparative quiet and exemption from such distressing trials in this country, may we ever remember that the enemy of all righteousness has various other modes of assailing us, if we keep not the watch in the light of the Lord, and cleave with earnest faith unto the Captain of our salvation a building is not more effectually overthrown by direct open force, than by a secret undermining and removing of it from its true foundation.]

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having been dissolved; and that Friends would not be admitted into that house or any part of it, to hold such meeting.

Fourth-day, the select meeting, standing adjourned to the 8th, have this morning assembled; most of those who at the former meeting had improperly intruded themselves, again took their seats in this meeting; and E. Hicks and his party manifesting a determination that the clerk nominated by their party should stand, Friends could not proceed to business, and therefore were obliged to move to the other end of the house, and endeavour after as much quiet as the nature of their situation would allow Joseph Bowne was appointed clerk to the select meeting; after which Friends adjourned to the college.*

This being the day appointed for both the meeting-houses in the city to be open for religious worship, and time not allowing for any arrangement for Friends holding their meetings elsewhere, the separatists having both meeting-houses now in their possession, after considering the subject, Friends were left at liberty to attend either of the two meeting-houses or not. Accompanied by my kind friends, Rowland Green and Daniel Wood, we proceeded to Rose-street house; although we were early in our attendance, yet, on our entering the house, we observed the ministers' gallery was crowded from end to end; some Friends under the gallery leaving their seats for us, we occupied them. As it evidently appeared to be a planned thing to crowd the gallery thus early by the separatist party, to keep us from our seats, I found great care would be necessary on my part to watch against any thing like a spirit of enmity or resentment taking place in my mind towards any on this account. A very short time after we had taken our seats, a leader of the separatist party stood up on his taking his seat he was quickly followed by another, both of them held forth doctrines tending to strike at the very root of vital religion, and in as direct opposition to the acknowledged principles of our ancient Friends as words could well convey: these were quickly followed by a female of their party, who used very strong expressions in what she called setting her seal to the gospel truths declared in the two foregoing communications. My mind was brought under exercise, and yet I felt a dread at the idea of standing up to discharge my duty, expecting no other but it would produce opposition; but when I believed the right time was come, I ventured to rise, and after having, in as concise a manner as I was capable of, borne my testimony to the necessity of our experiencing the aid and assistance of the Spirit and power of Jesus Christ, who suffered without the gates of Jerusalem, if the great work of our soul's salvation becomes that com

It is stated in "The Friend," that at least two-thirds of all the ministers and elders of New York, who were in attendance, continued with Friends.]